


The Tree

by whenmysoulsings



Series: Cullen and Ihrá [4]
Category: DA:I, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Haven (Dragon Age)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-19
Updated: 2016-01-19
Packaged: 2018-05-15 00:54:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5765488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whenmysoulsings/pseuds/whenmysoulsings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is not completly canon. I like Solas but didn't romanced him and I don't think, that the Solas in the game would fight for the love of the Inquisitor. But my idea of Solas is a little different - we will see how Cullen will get along with that ;)</p>
    </blockquote>





	The Tree

**Author's Note:**

> This is not completly canon. I like Solas but didn't romanced him and I don't think, that the Solas in the game would fight for the love of the Inquisitor. But my idea of Solas is a little different - we will see how Cullen will get along with that ;)

The time had passed slowly, when Ihrá has been at Josephine to discuss some important documents. All this paperwork was burdensome and very soon her head was spinning. She was by no means uneducated, No, on the contrary, sometimes she could easily lose herself completely in reading a book, but this had nothing in common with the documents that Ihrá had to read at the moment. In particular, the reading between the lines, that Josephine remarkably well mastered, was exhausting for her.

The more she now enjoyed to steal a moment of privacy for herself. Quickly she had made her way through the Chantry and went with firm steps towards the gate of Haven. She hadn’t even seen in Commander Cullen's direction when she had noticed his gaze from the corner of her eye. A part of her hesitated. She liked Commander Cullen and she found herself more often looking at him a minute too long or joining his vicinity when they were standing around the map. Ihrá could remember it as if it was yesterday, the way she had knocked him down to the ground on her first night in Haven. She smiled as the memories came back. She had been so embarrassed and she would have preferred to sink into the ground in shame. But when she finally sat on her bed the shame disappeared and another, warm feeling took its place which she couldn’t classify and wanted so far.

It also seemed to her as if his eyes would follow her more often too. Often he sees in her direction when he thought she was busy. When she lifted her head to him, he had already looked away.  
Smiling, she shook her head as if she was trying to shake off these thoughts. Ihrá that is nonsense, she said to herself. He is the Commander, you're a Dalish elf who has been at the wrong time at the wrong place. And of course, he was watching her; everyone did! The fact that she was a Dalish made her special and that mark in her hand made her more special, so it was natural that she was under greater surveillance. Don’t let your emotions get the best of you, she assured herself and went quickly out of the gate.

It had snowed more than usual the night before and Ihrá slumped into the snow ankle deep at every step. She let the gates far behind her and finally found what she was looking for. The tree was ideal: a broad and tall stem with many thick branches. She straightened her lined waistcoat, knocked the snow off her boots and climbed nimbly like a squirrels up the trunk until she could see halfway up a branch on which she could sit comfortably. She sat down, pulled up her knees and looked out into the distance. She took a deep breath and filled her lungs with the cool air and a pleasant shiver ran down her back. How much she missed the peace and solitude. No questioning, suspicious glances and although her mark reminds her every minute of the open Reach, it was like a huge load fell off her shoulders. She let her mind drift, thinking about the friends and family she had to leave behind and to Cullen - again. Sighing, she leaned back against the tree trunk and closed her eyes. By now she could see his brown eyes, his cheeky smile and the scar on his upper lip. For a brief moment, her heart somersaulted until she had regained control, but the pleasant warm feeling remained in her body and made her smile.

She sat there for a few minutes until she saw a slender figure in the distance, going up to the tree she was sitting on. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to see sharper. It was Solas, who trudged through the snow with his staff in his hand. Had he seen anything? Was he following her? Instinctively she climb a little deeper to a location of the tree, where she could hide herself better. Would he seek in the tree, he would indeed see her immediately, without its leaves the tree offered little protection, but if he just walked past it she had a chance to remain undetected. At least for a few minutes, she wished. Although Solas was among those who also appreciate the solitude and peace and the fact that he was always restrained when he was around her, she didn’t want to share her tree with him.

He approached the tree and Ihrá held her breath and pressed her back firmly against the trunk. Solas paused, looked around, but not upwards, and finally sat down on one of the roots of the tree. Ihrá had to suppress a disappointed sigh. After all, he seemed to have not seen her. She could not see exactly, but it looked like he would close his eyes and sleep – no, he was dreaming. She knew better by now. She waited a few minutes and finally decided to stay. Ihrá sat down slowly, careful not to wake Solas and let her eyes and her thoughts wander. 

She had been dozed off briefly. Startled, she took the branch on which she was sitting to avoid falling in shock. Her limbs were quite stiff and froze and her fingers tingled as the heat in it flowed back.

"What's that?" She heard Solas saying outraged from below. Her rapid movements had let the snow, which had been lying on the branches, fall off directly on Solas head. Annoyed, he looked up at her and finally got up when he discovered her. She smiled apologetically but his eyes remained suspicious.

"Since when have you been up there? Are you following me? "  
"I have to ask you." She replied with dangling feet.  
"I was here first."

Solas raised an eyebrow.  
"I did not see you."  
"I must admit," said Ihrá "that I hid in the tree when I saw you coming."  
Solas opened his mouth to retort something but Ihrá was faster.

"No reason to be angry, Solas, I did not want to be discovered to have a little more time for me; all the hustle and bustle, the amount of people, their eyes - sometimes it's just too much to me. Out here it was almost as if everything was like before, without this mark and the burden that lies on me."

Her last words were just a whisper, barely audible, but Solas seemed to understand every word. When she looked up from her toes, he looked at her thoughtfully and finally nodded.

"I understand you very well. Haven does not provide such a good retreat. There are those times and their circumstances that have to get all of us out of our safe hiding place. You are the chosen one and you will be better at fulfilling this role day by day. Soon it will be easier for you."

Inquiring he looked at her and Ihrá met his gaze for a long moment. He first noticed that they've stopped talking and were just looking at each other. He cleared his throat and looked aside, pushing the snow with his foot to the side, like a little boy, who felt a bit uncomfortable. She had to smile, it was so cute to watch the tips of his ears reddened slightly. Oh Solas, she thought, there is so much more behind this unapproachable wall that you have built.

„I'll go back to Haven, do you want to come with me?“

She offered him and threw a handful of snow playfully in his direction to get his attention.

"Of course, Lethallan." He replied, looking at her again, also with a smile that warmed her heart. Solas has always been there, but still reserved and far away in his own world. Whenever occasions arose where they could talk, they only talked about their missions or Solas explained the magical contexts that she was trying to understand. Maybe I should Solas know better, she thought, and climbed slowly down.

The branches were more slippery than before, because the snow had melted a little. Carefully she clambered down and was almost at the bottom when her hand missed a branch and her foot slipped. She didn’t fall deep and the snow was soft, yet she landed hard and inconvenient.  
Solas was immediately at her side, threw his wand carelessly in the snow. 

„Did you hurt yourself?“

She clutched her ankle and pressed her lips together.

"I think I sprained my foot." She replied, Solas knelt anxiously beside her.  
"That’s all I needed ... should the Herald of Andraste not be protected from such bad luck. What good is it to be chosen, when the protecting hand does not catch you in the most important moment. "

She tried to smile to smooth his worry lines, though he had already put his hands around her foot and tried carefully to grope through her leather boots. Ihrá grimaced, the pain was bearable but still unpleasant.

"Lethallan, I won’t take off your boots so that the joint does not swell even more. I assume that it is not broken, otherwise there would be more pain. "  
"Even more?!" she said and after all she was able to smile as she looked at Solas.  
"Wait, I'll help you up."

He took her cold hands in his surprisingly warm ones and pulled her up to him, so that only a few inches of space was between them. His eyes were gray, like hers, but they went more in a bright brown than hers, who were more gray-blue. Again his pensive look rested on her, as if there were a thousand questions in his eyes waiting for thousand answers. She wanted to stretch out her hand and gently stroke his cheek, relieve him of some of his concerns, but it was Solas, who released her hand and gently brushed a strand of hair out of her face, so carefully as if a butterfly had touched her skin. She could feel the tingle on her skin where his fingers had been.

"Lethallan, I ..."  
His voice broke, he swallowed and looked at his feet. He let her hand loose and took a step back, she heard him sigh softly. What's going on, Solas, she asked herself and didn’t dare to say the words.

"Can you stand? Should I carry you ...? "

She heard the uneasiness in his voice even though he had had recovered, because his gaze was unapproachable as before and Ihrá found herself missing his warmth and closeness - what confused her completely.

"No, no, Solas, not necessary. Maybe I can even ... ouch ... "

She winced as she tried to weight on her foot. Immediately Solas was with her and hold her up.

"May I...?"

Ihrá nodded and she slowly hobbled with him on the side through the snow.

They were gone a few steps when she saw how his nose wrinkled.

"What?" She asked, raising an eyebrow and said "Am I stinking?"

"What? No of course not."

Solas felt caught and he blushed.

"You smell ... well ... very well ... reminds me of lemon??"

She smiled at him and nodded flattered. His lips formed a small smile as he gave her a glimpse. This morning she had taken a bath with the new soap, which Leliana bought her. Ihrá loved the fresh scent of lemons and was very grateful to her.

They walked very slowly and finally they reached the gate of Haven. She was a little wistfully that Solas would no longer be so close to her. She did not know whether the familiarity stemmed from their common roots. Ihrá felt amazingly well. Normally it wasn’t easy for her to be close to people she doesn’t know well. Maybe I hurt my head too, she wondered as she tried to fathom her feelings.

First they went through Haven without causing a stir. But as soon as they had entered the large square where the troops where training, they were noticed by Commander Cullen and immediately he ran to them.

"Maker, what happened? Solas ?! "

His voice was anxious and angry at the same time. Strictly he looked at Ihrá and then at Solas.

"Nothing happened, Commander." Ihrá replied with a wave of her hand "I slipped off a branch and fell down. The ankle is a little sprained ... really nothing bad ... "  
"Fallen from a tree ?? What ... where ... Solas ?? "

Solas rolled his eyes, still fixed his grip on her.

"I fell down, Solas was nearby and helped me. Can we go now, Commander Cullen? "  
She said stricter than she meant it and was already sorry for being so rude to Cullen.

"Good," Cullen said "I'll take her, Solas."

As Cullen leaned towards them to lift her, she realized that Solas grip was briefly fixed but after some seconds he finally gave Cullen a nod and handed her over.  
Cullen picked her up as she was light as a feather and carried her away. Ihrá could still see Solas over Cullens shoulder, as he watched her. First Ihrá was able to see something like disappointment in his eyes, then he pressed his lips to a fine line, shook his head and went his way to his hut.


End file.
